Sandy Lenichek: Lifelong Leaner Teaching Future Nurses
Nursing and education are lifelong passions for Sandy Lenichek. She’s worked in nursing since the early 1980s and has always valued both learning and teaching. From her start as a licensed vocational nurse to earning her associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, Sandy has never stopped learning. Now, as a nursing instructor at Charter College in Anchorage, she still wants to keep her education going.
“I’m going back to school to get my doctorate,” Sandy says. “I’m in a nursing field that’s always changing, and I want to keep learning so I can keep growing.”
Over the years, Sandy has worked in many areas of nursing, including critical care, post-anesthesia care, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, community health, and even management for a while. But Sandy says she feels most comfortable when she’s providing direct care to patients.
“Even after all the experiences I had, I really wanted to get back to bedside,” says Sandy. “I missed the patients.”
Sandy returned to bedside care in December 2019, just before COVID-19 hit. Working on the COVID floor brought new challenges and burnout, but it also gave her time to reflect and take her next step. She had thought about nursing education as a career in the past, so when she saw a teaching position open at Charter College’s Anchorage, AK campus, she thought why not? Sandy applied, interviewed, and got the job.
Bringing Real-World Nursing Experience into the Classroom
Because Sandy brings years of nursing experience into the classroom, she knows she has the knowledge and skills to teach her students. But she also knows what it’s like to juggle life while attending school. Since Sandy worked full time while earning her own degrees, she understands what many of her students are going through.
“I worked full time the whole time I was getting my education,” Sandy says. “So, I let my students know, ‘I get it. I’ve been there.’ and that does help keep them motivated.”
As a lifelong learner, Sandy also took the time to research the best methods to teach her students. She wanted to truly understand how students learn best. Sandy dove into research and found new teaching methods to implement in her own classroom.
“I found research that shows the best way to learn isn’t by just rereading notes,” explains Sandy. “Answering questions and staying engaged is what really helps them understand it.”
Sandy builds her lessons around active learning. She uses games like Jeopardy, group work, and interactive slides to keep students involved. One of her favorite methods includes organizing students into teams to break down nursing diagnoses and build connections between symptoms, treatments, medications, and labs.
“It’s fun to watch them get into it and defend their ideas,” says Sandy. “They learn so much more when they’re engaged.”
Building a Supportive Community at Charter College Anchorage
Sandy says the best part of working at Charter is her students—and the community her team has built around them.
“We want our students to enjoy their time at Charter,” Sandy says. “We do fun things like pajama day and team shirt day. We want them to feel supported and part of something.”
Sandy and her fellow instructors even helped refurbish a quiet study space on campus they’ve dubbed the Lizard Lounge. The team added lighting, study cubicles, and computers for students to use.
“It’s a calm place where students can focus,” says Sandy. “I hold office hours there so I can meet students where they are comfortable.”
Sandy and her colleagues work together to stay on the same page, so students get a consistent experience for each course. With many English as a Second Language (ESL) students in Anchorage, the instructors go the extra mile to make sure everyone understands the material.
“Anchorage has over 90 different languages spoken in the public schools,” Sandy says. “Our students may be translating everything in their heads while trying to learn. We have to meet them where they are.”
Unique Experiences at Charter College Anchorage
Sandy notes that Charter College not only supports students; it also helps faculty and staff grow together. Sandy says she values her colleagues and loves how the team works together on new ideas. Currently, they are working to launch a Men in Nursing Association on campus.
“We have five full-time male nursing instructors, which is rare,” says Sandy. “We’re using that to inspire more men to consider nursing as a career.”
Fostering Nursing Student Growth In and Out of the Classroom
Sandy also teaches both in the classroom and in the clinic when her students get their clinical hours. She visits her students there to support them and sometimes assists them with procedures when the hospital nurses are tied up.
“I walk around, check in with them, answer questions, and even jump in to help when needed,” Sandy says. “It’s all part of guiding them toward their pinning ceremony.”
Even after decades in the field, Sandy stays committed to learning and helping others learn. She understands nursing school can be a difficult career path, but she continues to find a way to make it fun, interesting, and rewarding for her students at Charter College.
Do you want to hear more stories from the Charter Team and learn about our A.A.S in Nursing program at our Anchorage campus? Call us at 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to get started!